Flexible mask with movable eyes



Dec. l2,' 1939. s. MARCUS FLEXIBLE MASK WITH MOVABLE EYES Filed June 17, 1958 INVENTOR. Swwxr; midz/J A TTORNEYS.

Patented Dec. 12, 1939 parts era-rite t res FLEXIBLE MASK WITH MOVABLE EYES Application June 1'7, 1938, Serial No. 214,188

11 Claims.

This invention relates to toys, more particularly dolls, and still more especially dolls having a thin flexible mask or head provided with movably mounted eyes.

The primary object of my invention is to generally improve the method and means for mounting movable doll eyes in a doll head, and more especially for mounting such eyes in a doll head made of thin flexible material. Such heads, made of fabric which is impregnated or sized and pressed to shape, are already known and widely used, but have not heretofore been provided with movable eyes. This is because of the difficulty of V successfully mounting movable eyes in a flexible 1'5 mask, as these heads are commonly known in the trade. It is not feasible to use a bridge or support provided withtangs, such as are used with the relatively thick molded wood pulp heads. Obviously, the tangs would penetrate the head.

v and be exposed on the outside thereof. Moreover, I have found that even a concealed fastener, such as the head of an ordinary rivet, may mar the exterior of the mask. A further object of my invention is to provide a satisfactory mounting for attaching movable eyes within a flexible fabric mask without any danger of marring the smooth painted exterior of the head. In accordance with my invention, patches are cemented to the inner wall of the head, and these are provided 311 with fastening means the heads of which are locked between the mask and the patches. It is necessary to properly locate the eyes in the eye openings of the head, and in accordance with a feature and object of my invention, the patches are cemented in place while locating eyes in the eye openings, the eyes being properly disposed in the eye openings while the cement is still wet, thus insuring proper location of the patches within the head. Ordinarily, the eyes are so mounted on the supporting bridge carrying the same that they are capable of a limited movement toward or away from the eye openings, the eyes being held in the eye openings by means of a light spring. This insures a close fit of the eyes in the eye openings and at the same time limits the frictional resistance to movement of the eyes to an amount readily overcome by the weight which causes opening or closing of the eyes. If the regular 50 bridge is used for properly locating the patches when cementing the same in place, the spring action at the eyes tends to lift the patches from the surface of the head and thereby interferes with proper setting of, the cement. A further object of my invention is to overcome this difficulty, and with this object in view, I employ a dummy eye set and bridge during the cementing operation, this dummy fitting being devoid of spring action. After the cement has set, a real eye set and bridge is secured to the patches. This bridge has the desired spring action, but the spring action is wholly incapable of affecting the already hardened cement.

I have constructed the invention while using thin readily bent tubular rivets for attaching the eye set to the patches, but even a rivet made of thin soft metal is apt to mar the exterior of the head during the riveting operation. I, there.- fore, employ a screw fastener, preferably a form of bolt having a special thin sheet-like head of substantial area, this head being disposed between the mask and the patch. The corners of the head are preferably struck inwardly to form tangs which bite into the patch and prevent rotation of the bolt during addition of the nut to hold the bridge in place. In accordance with still another feature and object of my invention, the bridge may be secured in place while using only a single bolt at one end of the bridge, the other end of the bridge being received in a pocket formed directly in the patch.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing, and other objects which will hereinafter appear, my invention consists in the flexible mask and doll eye elements and their relation one to the other, as hereinafter are more particularly described in the specification and sought to be defined in the claims. The specification is accompanied by a drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a section taken in elevation through a fabric mask provided with patches for receiving. an eye set-supporting bridge, this section being taken in the plane of the line l-| of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a rear View of the mask of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section taken in the plane of the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, and is explanatory of a detail;

Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the special bolt or screw fastener forming a part of the mounting means for the eye set;

Fig. 5 is a section taken in elevation through an eye set and supporting bridge adapted to be mounted in the mask of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a section taken in elevation'showing the eye set mounted within the flexible mask, this section being taken in the plane of the line 6-43 of Fi 'l; h

Fig. 7 is a rear elevation of the mask of Fig. 6, showing the doll eye set in position;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a dummy eye set or fitting which is used during the cementing of the patches within the mask;

Fig. 9 is a rear elevation of the fitting of Fig. 8; and

Fig. 10 is a section similar to Fig. 6, but showing a modification of the invention.

Referring to the drawing, and more particularly Figs. 6 and '7, the doll head comprises a flexible mask i2, preferably made of impregnated or sized fabric. The outer surface of this mask is ap propriately painted or colored to act as a doll head. The mask is provided with eye openings, and eyes i are mounted within the doll at the eye openings. These eyes may form a part of a conventional eye set, the eye set consisting of eyes l mounted on a cross-rod 15 to which is secured a depending weight arm l8 carrying a weight E This weight consists of a reversely bent or U-shaped piece of heavy metal which is clamped on the end of weight arm l8 and also upon a forwardly projecting piece of cardboard or like material acting as a bumper for limiting the opening movement of the eye set.

The eye set is oscillatably carried on a bridge 25, and this is secured within the doll head at its upper and. lower ends 26 and 28. It is secured in place with the aid of special patches 3-") and Referring now to Figs. 1, 2, and 3 of the drawing. the mask l2, and the patches 39 and 32, are clearly shown. These patches consist of small pieces of heavy woven fabric which are cemented in place against the front Wall of the doll head. Patch 30 is provided with a fastening means 3 which is really a special form of small screw bolt. Referring to Fig. 4, it will be seen that the threaded shank is provided with a thin fiat head 36 of substantial area. The corners of the head are preferably struck inwardly, that is, in the direction of the shank, to form points or tangs 38. As will be seen from inspection of Figs. 1 and 2, patch 30 is perforated to receive screw 34, and the head 36 is disposed between the patch and the mask. The patch is cemented in place and the bolt is prevented from turning by the action of the cement and also by reason of the tangs 38 which tend to embed themselves in patch 30. Some of the cement which is expressed from between the patch and mask during the cementing operation is indicated at 4B in Fig. 2.

The lower patch 32 may be similarly provided with a bolt or other fastening means, but in the present case is provided with a pocket for receiving the lower end 28 of the bridge. It will be seen from the drawing that bottom patch 32 is made of a piece of cloth which is folded upon itself or doubled, thus adding a second lamination 32. The double thickness patch is stitched along the lines 45, thereby defining a pocket between the two layers of cloth, this pocket being dimensioned to rather snugly receive the lower end 28 of the bridge.

The construction of the bridge and eye set will be clear from inspection of Figs. 5 and '7, in which it will be seen that the bridge 24 consists of a strip of sheet metal bent rearwardly at the middle portion and provided with forwardly bent ears 46. These ears are slotted to receive the cross-rod E6. The cross-rod is urged forwardly by a thin wire spring 48 the reversely bent end of which is secured within a slit cut through the bridge, as is best shown in Figs. 5 and 7. The bridge is slotted or cut away at 50 to receive the weight arm I 8. A part of the bridge may be bent, as indicated at 52, in order to form a motionlimiting stop for the weight arm. The upper end 26 of the bridge is apertured at 54 to receive the bolt 34.

It will be understood that to mount the eye set and bridge assembly of Fig. 5 on the mask of Fig. 1, it is merely necessary to slide the lower end 28 of the bridge into the pocket of the bottom patch 32 and to then move the upper end of the bridge over bolt 36. Nut 58 is then applied, thereby anchoring the bridge securely in place. There is no marring of the exterior of the head during the attaching operation.

It is important that the patches 30 and 32 be properly located within the doll head when cementing the same in place. This may be done by using the eye set and bridge assembly of Fig. 5 as a fitting for proper location of the patches. In other words, it would be possible to apply the patches 38 and 32 to the assembly of Fig. 5, and to then cement the patches in place while locating the eyes I l properly in the eye openings of the mask. However, if this procedure is followed, it is necessary to hold the bridge against the inner wall of the mask, for otherwise the action of spring 48, in tending to move the eyes against the eye openings, would cause the bridge, and with it the patches, to move away from the mask, thus spoiling the adhesive union between the patches and the mask.

Tins difficulty may be avoided by preliminarily using a special fitting for the sole purpose of properly locating the patches on the inner wall of the mask. The fitting may be made in a number of ways, and one simple way is illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9 of the drawing. The main requirements of this fitting are first, that the upper and lower ends 26' and 28 correspond to the upper and lower ends 26 and 28 of the bridge; second, that the simulated eye members M be related to the ends 26' and 28, in the same manner that the eyes It are related to the bridge ends 26 and 28, when the eyes l i are in an intermediate position, with the cross-rod l6 intermediate the ends of the bearing slots in the ears 46; and third, that there be no spring action in the dummy bridge or fitting. Referring to Figs. 8 and 9, it will be seen that the ends 26 and 28' form a part of a general cruciform piece of sheet metal 60 the sidewardly projecting arms 62 of which are bent forwardly to form bearing ears 64 which are perforated to receive a cross-rod 66 on which dummy or real eye members are mounted. The dummy eye members are preferably prevented from turning by having their rear edges bearing directly against the arms 62. In practice, the patches 30 and 32 are cemented to the mask and are properly located in position during the cementing operation by the dummy fitting of Figs. 8 and 9. The operator properly locates the dummy eyes in the eye openings during the cementing operation. After the cement has hardened, the dummy fitting is removed and a real eye set assembly, such as is shown in Fig. 5, is substituted therefor. At this time, the spring action of the eye set assembly merely fulfills its normal function in providing a light yieldable pressure of the eyes in the eye openings.

It is not at all essential to use the special form of pocket patch so far described, and I have successfully practiced the invention while using patches like the upper patch 30 at both the upper and lower parts of the mask. Such an arrangement is indicated in Fig. 10, in which the bridge is like that previously described except that it has a hole at the lower as well as the upper end. The upper end 10 of the bridge is secured in place by means of a screw 12 and nut 14, the screw being held by a patch 76 just like the patch 30 previously described. The lower end 18 of the bridge is held in place by means of a similar screw 80 and nut 82, the screw being held in place by patch 8 cemented in position. This patch is not visible and is shown in broken lines in Fig. because. the section of that figure is taken through one of the eyes, that is, it islike the section of Fig. 6 taken on line 6-43 of Fig. 7. The upper patch it is exactly likethat shown in Figs. 1, 2, and '7, and the lower patch 84 is a similar patch used in. place of the double or pocket patch 32 shown in those figures.

Itwill be. understood that a dummy fitting may be used with the arrangement in Fig. 1c,

and in such case, the fitting may be like that shown in Figs. 8 and 9, except that the lower end 28 is provided with a hole for receiving the screw 80. The patches are applied to the fitting and at the same time are cemented in place, their proper location being assured by disposing the dummy eye members M in the eye openings of the mask. It is not essential to add the nuts i4 and 32 during the cementing operation.

It is believed that the improved flexible mask and movable eye mounting of my invention, as well as the method of practicing the invention, will be apparent from the foregoing detailed de-- scription. The advantages of the invention will also be clear from the foregoing description, particularly when keeping in mind that it has not heretoforebeen possible or practicable to mount movable eyes in a thin flexible mask of the character here involved. The bridge is simple and inexpensive and it is mounted in place securely and accurately by inexpensive means. The exterior of the mask is in no way marred even though, as is customarily the case, the mask be painted before the eyes are mounted in place.

It will be apparent that while I have shown and described my invention in preferred forms, many changesand modifications may be made in the structures disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention defined in the following claims.

I claim: 1. A flexible doll head or mask and an eye set "combined therewith, said eye set including a supporting bridge, a pair of eyes. movably mounted on said bridge, means for moving said eyes, and means for attaching said bridge to said mask without marring the exterior surface of the mask, said means including a patch cemented to the mask with the shank of a metallic. fastener projecting inwardly therefrom, the head of said fastener being thin and flat located between the mask and the patch, said fastener interlocking with a mating part of the bridge.

2. A flexible .doll head or mask and an eye set combined therewith, said eye set including a supporting bridge, a pair of eyes movably mounted on said bridge, means for moving said eyes, and means for attaching said bridge to said mask without marring the exterior surface of the mask, said means including a patch cemented to the inside of the mask with the threaded shank of a bolt projecting inwardly therefrom, the head of said bolt being located between the mask and the patch, said bolt passing through a mating hole in the bridge and said bridge being held on said bolt by a nut.

3. A flexible doll head or mask and an eye set combined therewith, said eye set including a supporting bridge, a pair of eyes movably mounted rotation of the bolt during tightening of a nut thereon,said bolt passing through a mating hole in the bridge and said bridge being held on said bolt by a nut.

4. A flexible fabric dollhead or mask and an eye set combined therewith, said eye set including a strip of sheet metal shaped to form a supporting bridge having bearing ears, a pair of eyes mounted on 'a cross-rod passing through said bearing cars, a weight and weight arm connected to said cross-rod for moving said eyes, and means for attaching said bridge to said mask without marring the exterior surface of the mask, said means including a patch of heavy fabric cemerited to the mask with the threaded shank of a bolt projecting inwardly therefrom, the head of said bolt being-thin and provided with tangs projecting inwardly against the patch to prevent rotation of the bolt during tightening of a nut thereon, said bolt passing through a mating hole in the bridge and, said bridge being held on said bolt by a nut.

5. A flexible fabric doll head or mask and an eye set combined therewith, said eye set including a supporting bridge, a pair' of eyes movably mounted on said bridge, means for moving said 1 eyes, and means for attaching. said bridge to said mask without marring the exterior surface of the mask, said means including a patch of heavy fabric cemented to the mask and provided with a pocket extending along the patch and dimensioned to snugly receive a mating part of the bridge.

6. A flexible doll head or mask and an eye set combined therewith, said eye set including a supporting bridge, a pair of eyes mounted on said bridge, means for moving said eyes, and means for attaching said bridge to said mask, said means including a patch of heavy fabric cemented to the front wall of the head at one end of the bridge, and provided with a pocket dimensioned to receive the end of the bridge, another patch cemented to the front wall of the head with the shank of a metallic fastener projecting inwardly through the patch, the head of the fastener being located between the mask and the patch, said fastener interlocking with a mating part at the other end of the bridge.

7. A flexible doll head or mask and an eye set combined therewith, said eye set including a supporting bridge, a pair of eyes movably mounted on said bridge, means for moving said eyes, and means for attaching said bridge to said mask, said means including a patch of heavy fabric cemented to the front wall of the head at one end of the bridge and provided with a pocket dimensioned to receive the end of the bridge, another patch cemented to the front wall of the head with the threaded shank of a bolt projecting inwardly through the patch, the head of the bolt being thin and provided with tangs ing a strip of sheet metal shaped to form a supporting bridge having bearing ears, a pair of eyes mounted on a cross-rod passing through said bearing cars, a weight and weight arm connected to said cross-rod for moving said eyes, and means for attaching said bridge to said mask, said means including a double thickness patch of heavy fabric cemented to the front wall of the head at one end of the bridge, the two layers of said fabric being secured to each other by lines of stitching forming a pocket therebetween dimensioned to snugly receive one end of the bridge.

9. A flexible fabric doll head or mask and an eye set combined therewith, said eye set including a generally upright strip of sheet metal shaped to form a supporting bridge having bearing ears, a pair of eyes mounted on a cross-rod passing through said bearing cars, a weight and weight arm connected to said cross-rod for moving said eyes, and means for attaching said bridge to said mask, said means including a double thickness patch of heavy fabric cemented to the front wall of the head at one end of the bridge, the two layers of said fabric being secured to each other by vertical lines of stitching forming a pocket therebetween dimensioned to receive the end of the bridge, another patch cemented to the front wall of the head with the threaded shank of a bolt projecting inwardly through the patch, the head of the bolt being thin and provided with tangs projecting inward- 1y against the patch to prevent rotation of the bolt, said bolt passing through a mating hole in the other end of the bridge and being held in place by a nut.

10. In the manufacture of a doll head provided with movable eyes, said eyes being yieldably carried on a supporting bridge which is secured to the doll head by patches cemented inside the head, the method of insuring proper location of the eyes in the eye openings of the head which includes preliminarily temporarily connecting the patches to a bridge and eye combination arranged to be devoid of spring action, then cementing the patches to the head While properly locating the eyes in the eye openings, and subjecting the patches to spring action only after the cement has dried.

11. In the manufacture of a flexible fabric doll head or mask provided with movable eyes, said eyes being yieldably carried on a supporting bridge which is secured to the doll head by patches of fabric cemented inside the head, the method of insuring proper location of the eyes in the eye openings of the head which includes preliminarily temporarily connecting the patches to a dummy bridge and eye combination devoid of spring action, then cementing the patches to the head while properly locating the dummy eyes in the eye openings, then removing the dummy bridge and eye combination, and finally connecting the real bridge with spring action to the patches in place of the dummy bridge.

SAMUEL MARCUS. 

